Satisfied left the meeting held today at the Presidential Palace on the subject of milk prices and the survival problems faced by the groups of sheep and goat farmers.
In statements after the meeting, Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis said that the meeting was held in a very constructive atmosphere, with President Anastasiades first of all informing him of the Government's determination to universally implement the provisions of the Regulation establishing haloumi as a PDO and to apply irrevocably the provisions of the relevant opinion of the Legal Service.
Kadis said that the challenges faced by sheep and goat farmers and the conditions for increasing milk production during the year, especially in the August-December period when productivity is lowest, were raised by the sheep and goat farmers.
He said specific suggestions were heard and what was concluded is that the dialogue will continue with the other groups and there will be a meeting with the cow farmers as well. Very soon, he added, a meeting will be held with all the groups involved in order to arrive at a commonly agreed procedure without derogations from what is provided for in the PDO Regulation.
He said the prevailing issue is that of the prices at which milk is purchased by cheese makers, where there is a significant difference from the cost of production, which is higher than the cost of sale, which means they are working at a loss.
"We need to find the golden solutions, which will lead to an increase in sheep and goat farmers' wages so that they can remain viable, because without remaining viable we will have neither milk nor halal," he said."
Mr. Kadis said the dialogue is ongoing and expressed hope that very soon we will have a comprehensive settlement.
Asked if goat farmers had asked for an increase in the price of goat and sheep's milk, Kadis replied positively but did not say how much the increase requested was. He added that it is generally accepted that in order to produce they need an amount which is higher than what they receive and so they are not viable.
That is, he continued, they discussed how we can give increases, clarifying that it cannot always be the government that creates the increases but the market should be allowed to work and they should get the price they ask for from those who buy their product.
Asked if there will be any changes in the market until the consultations are completed, Kadis said that this round of consultations will be completed very soon, in a few days, and there is no need to discuss further what will happen in those days. "The Government is determined to fully implement what is stipulated in the PDO Regulation," he reiterated.
For his part, the President of the Producers Group of Goat and Sheep Producers Sotiris Kadis expressed his agreement with the Minister's words, noting that the President listened to them with understanding and understands the problems they face.
Asked what they asked for at the meeting, Sotiris Kadis did not want to give details, noting that the negotiation is in progress.
Asked if the sheep and goat farmers left the meeting satisfied, he answered positively, saying specifically that the President was very positive on the problems we have.
Source: CNA
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